For me there’s a very definite before-and-after in my world view. Perhaps you’ve experienced this too?

Just how much type 2 diabetes has changed my perspective was made apparent to me when Mike at My Diabetic Heart issued a challenge to #MakeDiabetesVisible. The challenge was pretty straightforward: “show what it is like to live with diabetes” by posting photos daily on social media for a month.

Before type 2 diabetes…

I won’t share all my #MakeDiabetesVisible photos, but here are a few that highlight how living with type 2 diabetes has changed my perspective.

I never thought much about my blood

Before diabetes I didn’t think much about my blood. It was just something moving around in my body. The only time I thought about my blood was when I had a cut or did labs at my annual check up.

Now I think about my blood all the time.

What’s my blood glucose level? Do I need to check? What am I going to do with my used test strip and lancet when I’m done checking? Do I need to do something to bring my blood glucose back in line?

How is this food/drink/snack/exercise/stress/cold/etc. going to affect my blood? Will it take me out of my target range? Will it keep me from going low?

I certainly didn’t think of my blood as a biohazard.

I didn’t notice sharps containers in public restrooms

To be honest, I didn’t even notice public sharps containers.

It was a coworker who first pointed one out to me, long before my diagnosis. She was surprised by it and thought it might be for people using illicit drugs. I pointed out that the sharps containers were more likely for people using prescription drugs, like insulin.

When I’m traveling I really appreciate finding a sharps container in an airport or conference center.

When there’s a public sharps container I know I can dispose of my monitoring supplies and insulin syringes safely. I don’t have to carry spent monitoring supplies or syringes through airport security or back to my hotel room. And I know that the people who clean the bathrooms are protected from exposure to potential biohazards.

I saw a blister as just a blister

Before type 2 diabetes, a blister was just a blister. No big deal. Clean it out, put a bandaid on it, and just go.

With diabetes a blister is more ominous and demands more attention. My mind automatically fills with questions.

Will it heal quickly? Will it heal completely? Is it an indication of something more serious? Will the blister become an ulcer? Will it lead to an amputation?

And 100 was just a number

The number 100 used to be just an integer. Sure, it reflected some value. But there was no reason for me to have an emotional reaction to 100 of anything.

Now 100 can be a source of happiness. I hit the target and must have done everything right.

And 100 can be a source of relief. I hit the target despite not doing everything “right.”

But at the end of the day it’s still just 100. Right?

What do you see differently?

Since your type 2 diabetes diagnosis, I’m sure some things have changed for you. How do you now see some things differently?

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Comments

Two things: I see driving my car in a different light when I was experiencing lows. I couldn’t just hop in and go. I the had driving guidelines to follow.

I always noticed the sharps containers in public washrooms. What changed for me was when I asked my daughter to go exchange my full home one for a new one at the pharmacy. She came home and told she felt people were looking at her like she was a drug user based on her age. That never occurred to me. After that I was a touch self conscious too.

I hate it when my diabetes affects my family. It’s great that your daughter was able to share her experience with you. But I would think at the pharmacy would be the one place people understood the importance of proper sharps disposal and wouldn’t judge. Go figure.